How Apperian Works

Modules contain services and capabilities provided by Arxan and third-party partners; Apperian App Management is the “glue” that pulls it all together into a coherent management framework. Its modular architecture makes Apperian highly scalable and customizable, allowing organizations to use only those modules that make sense in their mobile environment.

The following diagram illustrates the primary components:

Apperian Server

The Apperian Server is a SaaS (Software as a Service) configuration hosted in the cloud. It manages each stage in the MAM lifecycle with a cohesive set of functions that support an enterprise's best practices to ensure a robust and secure deployment.

Apperian throughout the MAM Lifecycle

On-board

During this stage, you define the content of your enterprise app store ("App Catalog"). An App Catalog can include many types of apps: native apps, links to public apps and web apps, device profiles and email configuration profiles, and "hybrid apps" (web apps packaged as native apps). In addition to the app, Apperian can manage associated content, such as screenshots and training videos, to enrich the mobile users' experience.

You can upload native apps via the Admin Portal web interface or through the Apperian publishing API. Using plugins to Apperian's partner's platforms, developers can publish apps directly to Apperian from a development environment.

Before making apps available to your users, you want to know they are safe. Apperian’s App Inspection is like a code x-ray that screens an app for risky behavior and vulnerabilities, such as malware and Trojans, and generates a detailed report along with remediation recommendations.

You can use policies to provide added layers of security, management, and measurement capabilities to support corporate requirements and enhance your users' mobile experience.

Policies are applied post-development, so there is no change to the original source code, no need for an SDK, and no extra work for you. And because the protection is provided as a layer around the app, it does not alter the functionality or performance of the app, nor does it compromise the user experience in any way.

Signing is a packaging process by which an app is sealed and identified as yours. Most apps need to be signed before they can be distributed to your mobile users. For more information, see About Signing.

Once an app has been inspected, protected, and packaged, it is ready for distribution. Using role-based user groups, you specify which apps users see in their App Catalog. You can also use a Direct Download URL to distribute a single app to someone who is not an Apperian user and does not have access to the App Catalog.

Apperian also makes distributing updates easy; when you upload a new version of an app, Apperian sends a push notification to App Catalog users' devices so they know the update is available for download.

The Apperian Server ensures that a large number of simultaneous users can download and update apps quickly. Commonly downloaded files are situated on a content delivery network to ensure fast delivery at peak demand times.

The Apperian Server supports a variety of authentication options. An account can authenticate its Apperian users with a built-in “white list” invitation system, or implement an SSO (Single Sign-On) solution to integrate with Apperian as well as other service providers. SSO—Apperian's preferred authentication method—leverages industry standards, such as SAML 2.0, and your enterprise’s existing authentication method.

Apperian App Catalog (The Mobile User's View)

An App Catalog enables users to see all the apps that they are authorized to access. From an App Catalog, users can install an app and view detailed information for each app, including screenshots and related media such as PDF files and videos. Users can also search for apps, like, dislike, and review apps, and install updates. Apperian supports a native App Catalogs for a variety of devices, as well as a web App Catalog that can run in a browser on any device. For a list of specific devices, see Supported Platforms.

The following example shows the default, Apperian-branded iOS App Catalog, but both native and web App Catalogs can be customized to incorporate your corporate brand.

Add the mobile apps that you want to make available to users in your enterprise App Catalog. Along with an app, you can upload associated files, such as screenshots and training videos. When you first add an app, you may wish to disable it in the App Catalog until you have inspected and applied usage and security policies to it.

Create a hybrid app to deliver a web app packaged as a native app.

Associate apps with one or more groups to control user access.

Associate apps with one or more categories to organize apps in a user's App Catalog.

Select applications to feature in the Featured Apps section of the iOS App Catalog.

Apply security and usage policies to individual apps in your Apperian account to apply multiple layers of protection around any app that needs more security. Depending on which policies you apply, you may need to re-sign the app after wrapping it. You can do this directly through the Admin Portal.

Inspect apps to screen for risky behavior and vulnerabilities, such as malware, trojans, and intellectual property exposure. When you request an inspection, Apperian returns an Inspection Report that serves as a powerful mobile app risk management tool.

Distribute a test version of an app to specific reviewers to ensure that the app meets quality and security standards.

After an app has been protected, inspected, and approved and you are ready to make it available to your end users, enable it in the App Catalog.

Choose the method that Apperian will use to authenticate users. You can use a built-in "white list" invitation system, or you can leverage your existing infrastructure with Single-Sign On.

Add users to the Apperian platform. You can add one user at a time or you can add multiple users at once by uploading a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file. If you implement Single-Sign On (SSO) for authentication, Apperian automatically provisions users.